Drawing on the latest international sociological research, this monograph takes a critical look at contemporary developments, discourses, and debate on pharmaceuticals and society.

• Key issues covered include pharmaceuticals and medicalization and the science and politics of drug development, testing, and regulation
  
• Investigates the constructions of pharmaceuticals in professional and popular culture and the meaning and use of medications in everyday life
  
• Investigates pharmaceuticals, consumerism, and citizenship and the impact of innovation and expectations regarding pharmaceutical futures
  
• Written in a lively, accessible style, with many engaging and important insights from key international figures in the field

New feature

Drawing on the latest international sociological research, this monograph takes a critical look at contemporary developments, discourses and debate on pharmaceuticals and society. Key issues covered include:

• Pharmaceuticals and medicalisation
  
• The science and politics of drug development, testing and regulation
  
• Constructions of pharmaceuticals in professional and popular culture
  
• The meaning and use of medications in everyday life
  
• Pharmaceuticals, consumerism and citizenship
  
• Innovation and expectations regarding pharmaceutical futures
  
• Pharmaceuticals and the Internet

Written in a lively, accessible style, with many engaging and important insights from key international figures in the field, this timely and topical monograph will appeal to a truly interdisciplinary audience of students, academics, researchers, professionals, practitioners and policy makers with an in interest in pharmaceuticals and society.

1. The sociology of pharmaceuticals: progress and prospects: Simon J. Williams, Jonathan Gabe and Peter Davis.

2. From Lydia Pinkham to Queen Levitra: direct-to-consumer advertising and medicalisation: Peter Conrad and Valerie Leiter.

3. Waking up to sleepiness: Modafinil, the media and the pharmaceuticalisation of everyday/night life: Simon J. Williams, Clive Seale, Sharon Boden, Pam Lowe and Deborah Lynn Steinberg.

4. Pharma in the bedroom . . . and the kitchen. . . . The pharmaceuticalisation of daily life: Nick J. Fox and Katie J. Ward.

5. Sociology of pharmaceuticals development and regulation: a realist empirical research programme: John Abraham.

6. Sex, drugs, and politics: the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer: Monica J. Casper and Laura M. Carpenter.

7. New forms of citizenship and socio-political inclusion: accessing antiretroviral therapy in a Rio de Janeiro favela: Fabian Cataldo.

8. Over-the-counter medicines: professional expertise and consumer discourses: Fiona A. Stevenson, Miranda Leontowitsch and Catherine Duggan.

9. In whose interest? Relationships between health consumer groups and the pharmaceutical industry in the UK: Kathryn Jones.

10. The great ambivalence: factors likely to affect service user and public acceptability of the pharmacogenomics of antidepressant medication: Michael Barr and Diana Rose.

11. Shifting paradigms? Reflections on regenerative medicine, embryonic stem cells and pharmaceuticals: Steven P. Wainwright, Mike Michael and Clare Williams.

Index.